


Cosmic Love

by NostalgicWitch



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Cannon Divergence, Childhood Friends, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-02-23 07:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23974309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NostalgicWitch/pseuds/NostalgicWitch
Summary: When Sonia moved back to Wedgehurst without a job or a husband at the age of 26, she knew that people were going to talk. Her hopes of laying low are dashed as soon as Leon and a new generation of Pokémon Trainers appear at her grandmother's lab.Spurred into action, will Sonia be able to manage uncovering the mysteries of Galar and mending old relationships at the same time? Or will she have to choose one over the other?
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Sonia, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 58





	1. A Falling Star Fell From Your Heart And Landed In My Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of 9/13/20, this story and chapter has been rewritten.

People talked when Sonia moved back to Wedgehurst with a doctoral degree and nothing else. Every decision she had made was called into question. Judgement was passed on to her constantly. And, of course, the locals just loved gossiping about her future.

“Any luck finding a job?”

Sonia took a deep breath before answering the shopkeeper, “Nope, not yet.”

“That’s too bad, sweetheart.”

“Maybe you should just find a husband and settle down instead,” the customer behind her in line suggested. “You’re not getting any younger after all.”

“I’m 26.”

“Exactly!”

“Thanks,” Sonia said with a thin smile. “Now if you’ll both excuse me, I need to get going. Gran’s expecting me back at the lab.”

As soon as the shopkeeper handed over the shopping bags, Sonia exited the Berry Shop. She marched through the town at a brisk pace and refused to make eye contact with anyone else. Mercifully the Pokémon Lab was close by.

“I’m back.”

“You were out for a while,” Gran observed without looking up from her desk.

“I got interrogated again.”

“Ah.”

While putting away the groceries, Sonia noticed that there was an unfamiliar document in her grandmother’s hands. “What’s that? Another request from the Chairman?” He had been asking more and more out of the Professor lately.

“No, it’s an update from the Champion. A Corviknight just delivered it.”

“From Leon?” Sonia asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. “Since when does he have time to write?”

“It happens on the rare occasion.”

“Well, what’d he say?”

“He recently gave starter Pokémon to Hop and Gloria.”

“Oh yeah? It’s about time. I’m surprised that they waited this long to become Pokémon Trainers.”

“Indeed… Though apparently they didn’t waste any time getting themselves into trouble.”

“What do you mean?”

“According to Leon, during an attempt to rescue a Wooloo from the Slumbering Weald, Hop and Gloria ran into some _‘never-before-seen, super strong’_ Pokémon. They tried to battle against them but nothing worked. The mysterious Pokémon ultimately disappeared into the fog.”

“Wow. You weren’t kidding.” Sonia shook her head in disbelief. “Did Leon say if Hop and Gloria are all right?”

Gran easily waved away Sonia’s concern. “Yes, he said they’re fine. Leon, by some miracle, found them shortly after.” She laid the note down and started tapping her index finger against the paper. “More importantly, what do you think of their encounter?”

“Honestly? It sounds like they saw an illusion.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Anything is possible, dear.”

“Does that mean you’re going to look into it?”

“I will but you are going to handle the preliminary research.”

“What?” Sonia scoffed. “No, I’m not.”

Gran stood up slowly and brushed the nonexistent dust off of her dress. She then regarded Sonia coolly. “Did you receive a job offer while you were out?”

“... No.”

“Then you have nothing better to do.”

Sonia bit her tongue. There was no point in arguing any further with Gran: she was right after all. So, without saying another word, Sonia finished putting away the groceries and moved onto her next task.

* * *

Researching the mysterious Pokémon that Hop and Gloria encountered in the Slumbering Weald turned out to be an impossible task. Search results always came back blank from online databases. Academic libraries were no help. Neither were universities. Even Macro Cosmos knew nothing.

By the fourth day of unsuccessful research, Sonia needed a break. She was in the middle of organizing the second floor library when the lab’s front door swung open. She looked over her shoulder to greet the visitor. The words, however, never made it past her lips.

“I have to hand it to Professor Magnolia: the renovation was a great idea. Everything in here looks fantastic…”

Leon.

What was he doing here?

“Yamper! It’s so good to see you too, boy!”

Sonia gripped the railing and watched as Yamper jumped into Leon’s arms. The Puppy Pokémon was thrilled to see him. Her starter Pokémon rewarded him with lots of slobbery kisses and the affection was happily received.

Leon then glanced up and saw her. “... Sonia?” The joy on his face was replaced by confusion. “What… What are you doing here?”

“I’m working here as a temp.”

“Since when?”

“A few weeks ago.” 

“I thought you had a job lined up with-“

“You heard wrong.” There were a million more questions in his eyes but she wasn’t going to answer any of them. “Anyway, what do you want, Leon? Don’t tell me you’re looking for another _‘never-before-seen, super strong’_ Pokémon.”

Her comment caught him further off guard but he managed to recover with a perfect smile. She always hated that particular smile of his; it was so fake. “No, nothing like that.”

Against her better judgement, Sonia walked down the stairs and approached Leon. Yamper sensed her approach and started squirming in his arms. He gently set her Pokémon down. Yamper barked his thanks before returning to her side.

“Then what is it?”

Leon didn’t answer her immediately. He instead returned her stare, the fake smile no longer on his facial features. They studied each other carefully.

He was no longer the little boy or lanky teenager from her memories; the TV interviews of recent years hadn't done him justice. He was taller and his broad shoulders were now complemented by a wide chest. His torso was fit and led down to toned legs. The ridiculous Champion uniform he wore accented every physical change. 

Forcing her eyes up, Sonia focused on his face. It was chiseled now; there were angles and shadows she had never seen before. His skin was clear and the beard along his jawline was sharp. The only part of him that was still out of control was, of course, his hair. 

Seeing him now in-person after all these years was weird. She knew him but didn't. He was a familiar stranger.

Did Leon feel the same way? And what did he see when he looked at her? A disappointment? A failure?

“Sonia-”

“Lee! You’re actually here!”

Whatever Leon was going to say disappeared with the loud entrance of Hop and Gloria; Yamper scurried over to greet them. He turned around and grinned at his younger brother. “‘Course I am. What about you two? What took you guys so long?”

“The Pokémon Center was mad busy.”

“Seriously? The one here in Wedgehurst?”

“Yeah, it was crazy.”

"Are we really talking about the same one?"

"Yeah!"

“Is my brother telling the truth, Gloria?”

“He is. The center was swamped by youngsters and lasses. We barely made it out alive.”

The Postwick gang shared a laugh and Sonia couldn’t help but smile as well. “Now I hate to break up your reunion but will someone please tell me what’s going on? Why are all of you here?”

“Oh, hey Sonia,” Hop answered. “We’re here to see Professor Magnolia. Is she around?”

“Afraid not. She just got back from Wyndon so she’s taking the day off and resting at home.”

“Blimey. What’re we going to do, Lee?”

Leon scratched his chin. “I guess we have two options. We can either come back to the lab tomorrow or we can and go visit her house on Route 2 today.”

“What exactly do you need Gran for?”

“Gloria and I need Pokédexes and Pokémon Box Links.”

“Is that all? Why didn’t you say so earlier? I can do that for you guys.”

“Seriously?” Hop demanded.

“Yeah. Those programs are easy to set up.”

“That’s awesome! Thanks Sonia.”

“It’s not a problem. I’ll just need to-”

Leon’s Rotom phone went off, cutting off Sonia mid-sentence. He glanced at the Caller ID and sighed. “Sorry I gotta take this.” Yet he stayed put for some reason.

“What are you waiting for?” Sonia prompted impatiently. “Go and answer it. We’ll be fine. I said I could handle this, remember?”

“Right.” Leon nodded. “Hop, Gloria. You guys are in good hands; Sonia will put you on the right path. Once you’re done, meet me outside.”

The lab’s front door then closed behind him. Hop and Gloria turned to Sonia expectantly. She smiled and clapped her hands together. “All right. Let’s get down to business.”

* * *

The last thing Sonia expected to return home to later that evening was a Pokémon battle but sure enough, there was Hop and Gloria facing off. Though at a clear disadvantage, Hop’s Grookey did its best against Gloria’s Scorbunny. The battle was smartly fought by both sides. In the end, Gloria was able to defeat Hop. There were no hard feelings between the best friends as they gave each other high fives.

With the battle over, Gran and Leon spoke to the teenagers. Hop and Gloria listened closely. It must have been good news as the smiles on their faces grew. Their excitement then grew tenfold as Wishing Stars fell from the sky.

Sonia chose that moment to walk across the law. “Seems like I came back just in time.”

Gran acknowledged her with a single nod and there was a wary smile on Leon’s face. Hop and Gloria wasted no time running over to meet her.

“Guess what, Sonia! Lee just endorsed us for the Gym Challenge!”

“And not only that but the Professor is going to make us our very own Dynamax bands,” Gloria added.

“That’s fantastic. Congrats!” Sonia replied. “You know what? We should celebrate! How about you lot stay for dinner?”

“That be great, thanks.”

“Yeah, we’re starving,” Hop agreed whole-heartedly.

Once inside her grandparent’s house, Sonia started preparing dinner: there was a new curry recipe that she had been wanting to try out. As she washed the vegetables, the Postwick gang talked at the kitchen table.

“So how do you and Sonia know each other?” Gloria inquired.

“Sonia and I grew up together. Childhood friends and all that.” Leon leaned back in his chair, completely at ease. “We also competed in the Gym Challenge at the same time.”

“Really? How old were you guys when you started out?”

“We were both 10 years old.”

“What? But you guys were still in primary school.”

“It was normal back then,” Leon chuckled. “The League only changed the rules after I won.”

“And how old were you when you won?”

“I was still 10 years old.”

Gloria threw her hands up in the air. “Seriously? You beat the Gym Challenge and won the Champion Cup at just 10 years old? You did all of that in one season? That’s absolutely mad!”

“None of this is new information, Glory.” Hop was laughing at her outburst. “Have you been under a Stonjourner or something?”

Gloria lightly punched Hop’s arm. “Shut up, Skip. I just wanted to hear it straight from the source for once.”

“Uh-huh, sure-“

” _Anyway_ , what about you, Sonia?”

“Hmm?” Her focus was mainly on chopping the vegetables. "What's that?"

“How far did you get in the Gym Challenge?”

“I made it to the Semifinals.”

“Oh, that’s right. You and Lee battled in the second round. You were really good.”

“Thanks,” she laughed.

Gloria picked up on Hop’s usage of past tense. “Are you not a trainer anymore?”

Sonia nodded her head. “I quit during Year 12.”

“Why did you quit?”

“I just realized it wasn’t for me.”

“I still think that’s insane.” Hop huffed, crossing his arms. “I mean, you were so good! You could have easily been a Gym Leader by now-”

“Hop.” Leon interrupted abruptly. “That’s enough, mate.”

The dinner that followed was full of lighter conversations. The teenagers were very interested in learning more about Dynamax and Gigantamax (they had learned the basics in secondary school). Gran was willing to oblige them to a certain point.

Grandpa then took up the mantle and led the discussions. He asked Hop and Gloria how they were doing in school (both had excellent grades) and whether they were worried about their future exams (neither were). He followed up by asking where they were most excited to visit on their journey (both said the Wild Area). This naturally led to a talk about Pokémon (Hop and Gloria ended up debating about which evolution of Eevee was the best).

It was late by the time dinner finished. Without any pomp or circumstance, Gran announced that their guests would be spending the night. Gloria was assigned to Sonia’s bedroom and the brothers were ordered to sleep in the sitting room with Chewtle.

Despite how exhausted she was, Sonia couldn’t fall asleep. She found herself awake hours later, staring at the ceiling, wondering why. Maybe some tea would help her predicament.

Slowly, as not to disturb Yamper’s slumber, Sonia got out of her bed. The Puppy Pokémon didn’t even notice. He just sighed and rolled into the warmth that she had left behind.

Sonia then tiptoed across her bedroom. She also didn’t want to accidentally wake Gloria who was sleeping in a make-shift bed on the floor. Thankfully none of the floorboards creaked.

Downstairs the kitchen was blissfully empty: no people, no Pokémon. It was the perfect environment for tea-making. As soon as the kettle came to a boil, Sonia snatched it off the stove and brewed some Earl Grey.

Normally she would enjoy a cuppa in the conservatory but Sonia didn’t want to walk through the sitting room. Though the brothers were sleeping like Snorlaxes, she didn’t want to risk waking them up either.

So, with the cup in hand, Sonia grabbed a jacket from the coat rack and headed outside. It was a lovely night. The moonlight was soft while the air was cool and refreshing.

Sonia sat down on the bench that overlooked the lake and took a long sip. It was nice. Her body started to relax thanks to the tea, quiet chirps of nocturnal Pokémon, and water lapping along the lake shore.

“... Sonia?”

“Shite,” she choked on her tea.

“Good to see you too,” Leon replied dryly.

Though he wasn’t invited to do so, Leon plopped down beside her on the bench. He leaned back and stretched his arms and legs out.

It was only when he shut his eyes that Sonia let herself take another closer look at him. He was borrowing some of Grandpa’s clothes for the night and they hung loosely off of his muscular build. His bed hair was unruly and everywhere; Sonia fought the urge to untangle it.

“Did I wake you?”

“Nah,” Leon mumbled. “I wasn’t sleeping in the first place… because of Hop.”

“You’re just as loud of a snorer.”

“Am not.”

Sonia shook her head and even though there was no way he could have seen it, Leon cracked a lopsided smile. It was a real smile; the first real one directed at her.

“What’s your excuse, Sonny?”

“What?”

“Why are you up this late?” Leon clarified, dropping the childhood nickname.

“I couldn’t sleep. My brain won’t turn off for some reason.”

“Is it because of what Hop and Gloria asked about?”

“Yeah.”

There was a small pause in their conversation. Sonia drank from her cuppa. Leon kept his eyes closed, breathing slowly through his nose and out his mouth.

“Don’t hold it against them. They’re just curious.”

“Wasn’t going to.”

A longer pause entered their conversation. Sonia finished her cuppa and started drumming her fingers against the empty cup. Leon continued to keep his eyes closed.

When she finally had enough of the awkward silence, Sonia bluntly asked, “Why are you still here, Leon? We both know you could have flown back to Wyndon on Charizard.”

He finally opened his eyes, his golden irises shining in the moonlight. “Earlier you said the phrase _‘never-before-seen, super strong.’_ ”

“Yeah, so? What about it?”

“I take it the Professor shared my note with you.”

“Mhmm. She’s having me look into the Pokémon you reported.”

“Have you found out anything?”

“Nope. There’s no known Pokémon in Galar that even comes close to your description.” Sonia crossed her arms. “Hop and Gloria probably just saw an illusion. This is the Slumbering Weald we’re talking about.”

“It wasn’t an illusion.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Because…”

“What?” Sonia prompted, holding his gaze.

Leon studied her long and hard. Whatever he saw led him to say: “Because illusions can’t cause people to lose consciousness at the same time.”

“What? That wasn’t in your note.” Sonia jabbed her finger against his arm. “Why didn’t you include that piece of information?”

“I didn’t want to stress the Professor out. She’s already doing too much.”

“Are you serious? How is hiding information from Gran helping her out any? If anything, that makes things worse.”

Tired of her antics, Leon grabbed her hand. The sudden contact threw Sonia off. She glanced at their hands. Her hand was so small enveloped in his. She could feel lots of unfamiliar calluses and scars on his skin. When was the last time they held hands like this?

“It’s not a big deal,” Leon’s voice brought Sonia back to the present. “I’ll handle those Pokémon either way.”

“That’s not the point.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not-”

“It doesn’t matter, Sonia.”

They were now glaring at each other. The tension between them was thick and practically tangible. Through her anger Sonia realized that Leon truly believed he had done nothing wrong. He thought he was right. Like always. 

Yanking her hand away, Sonia stood up and sneered at him: “You’re impossible. Why am I even trying to have this conversation with you? You never listen. You’re just going to do whatever you want, regardless of what anyone else thinks.”

“Come on, Sonia, that’s not fair-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Leon. I’ve had enough of your bullshite for one night,” Sonia snapped back furiously. She then stormed back to the house, leaving Leon alone with his own hypocrisy.

* * *

Leon was long gone by the time Sonia came down for breakfast. His sudden departure didn’t surprise her, Gran, Grandpa or Hop. Gloria, however, was caught off guard.

“How could he leave without saying goodbye?” Gloria asked, flabbergasted.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it, Glory. Happens all the time.”

Gran then stepped into conversation: “Leon’s the Champion and he has things he needs to do. You two are brand new Pokémon Trainers and you also have things you need to do so stop wasting your time.”

While Gran continued to address Gloria, Sonia pulled Hop over for a private conversation. “Hey, I heard from Leon that you encountered some Pokémon that you didn’t recognize in the Slumbering Weald. Can you tell me more about what you saw?”

“Er, well, it’s all pretty hazy. They were kind of like Dog Pokémon, only much bigger. One was blue and the other was red… And that’s all I remember. Sorry.”

“A right fount of information you are. Thanks Hop.”

Sonia and Gran then bid the teenagers farewell. Their adventure was just starting. They were heading to Motostoke in order to register for the Gym Challenge.

The house felt strangely empty now that it was just Sonia and her grandparents again. It bothered Sonia more than she wanted to admit.

Then there was also what Leon had told her last night, as well as what Hop had just shared with her. The more she thought about everything, the more questions arose. It was beyond frustrating.

Shoving her feelings and thoughts aside, Sonia started clearing off the kitchen table. As she washed the dirty dishes, Gran took a seat at the empty table. “What’s on your mind, dear?”

“It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s not. Whenever you’re frustrated, you clean.” When Sonia still didn’t explain herself, her grandmother continued, “Does this have anything to do with Leon?”

“What?” Sonia nearly dropped the plate she was drying off. “No.”

“There’s no point in lying, dear. You’re an open book.”

“Fine.” She set the dish rag down and turned to face Gran. “It’s about Leon’s note and the Pokémon he mentioned. He didn’t tell us everything he knew.”

“That’s not surprising.”

“Why not?” 

“He’s the Champion. There are some things he can share and others he can’t.” 

“Why are you defending him?” 

“I’m not; I’m simply stating the facts.” Gran frowned. “If you’re that upset by his actions, why don’t you do something about it?”

“Like what?”

“Go and find the truth out for yourself.”

“I can’t just leave-”

“Enough. You’ve been making excuses for yourself ever since you moved back, Sonia. It’s unbecoming.”

“That’s not what I’m-”

“It’s not? Then prove me wrong. Get back out into the world and do something with your life. Everyone else is. Even those teenagers from Postwick.”

After saying her piece, her grandmother left Sonia alone in the kitchen. She finished putting away the cleaned dishes before retreating upstairs to her bedroom. Once inside, she leaned back against the closed door and sighed.

Gran was right. Sonia needed to do something, anything, in order to move on. Maybe investigating those mysterious Pokémon from the Slumbering Weald would help her figure out the next steps in her life.

With some new found resolve, Sonia unearthed her old backpack and started packing. Yamper watched happily from the bed and wagged his tail in support. When everything was ready to go, Sonia glanced at the picture frame on her vanity: “Wish me luck, Mama and Papa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As someone who is in their mid-twenties, I really connected to Sonia's story in Pokémon Sword and Shield. I wanted to do a character study of sorts and really explore her complicated relationship with Leon. 
> 
> The title for both this story and its chapters come from the song "Cosmic Love" by Florence + Machine. The basic plot of Sword and Shield will be followed with lots of reimaginings. 
> 
> Let me know what you think! 
> 
> Also please stay safe and healthy!


	2. The Stars, The Moon, They Have All Been Blown Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of 9/13/20, this story and chapter has been rewritten.

The Wild Area was just as Sonia remembered it. Vast and seemingly endless. The land was full of Pokémon and possibilities.

The current weather was lovely in the Rolling Fields. There was plenty of sunlight thanks to the clear skies. A nice breeze even wafted by every so often.

With the weather being so nice, Yamper was off exploring. He ran around the subarea as fast as his little paws could carry him. His button nose was also very busy, sniffing out everything. Every time he encountered a wild Pokémon, he tried his best to befriend it. So far his only success was with a spunky Oddish.

As her Puppy Pokemon played with its new friend, Sonia sat under a tree and started brainstorming. If she was going to investigate those mysterious Pokémon from the Slumbering Weald, she would need a plan.

Since there weren’t any modern records about the Pokémon, Sonia needed to delve further into history. She could look into Galarian legends and cross-reference them with primary sources from the medieval era.

There were also lots of archaeological and historical sites in Galar. She could visit Motostoke, Turffield, Hammerlocke, Stow-on-Side, and Circhester. She’d probably need to go to Wyndon at some point too.

By the time Sonia was done finalizing her plan, she had filled up nearly five pages of her notebook with ideas. It was a good start. Satisfied with her work, she packed up and called out, “Yamper! Let’s go! We have our first destination: Motostoke!”

* * *

A few days later Hop greeted her in the lobby of Budew Drop Inn: “Sonia! Fancy seeing you here.”

“Hiya. Did you guys get registered all right?”

“Yeah.” Hop proudly showed off his brand new Pokémon League Card. “See? It’s official. I’m a Gym Challenger now.”

“You certainly are.”

“So what’re you doing in Motostoke? Are you here to see our debut at the Opening Ceremony?”

“No, sorry, tickets were all sold out but I’ll be sure to watch the broadcast,” Sonia replied. “I’m actually here because I’m looking into those Pokémon that you guys saw in the Slumbering Weald.”

“Yeah? What do you think of them?”

“Hard to say. I’ve got a few ideas though. Right now I’m working under the premise that the Pokémon are old, maybe as old as Galar itself, which is why I’m checking out some Galarian legends first.”

“So does that mean there’s a legend behind this statue?” Gloria asked.

“That’s right. I can go through it right quick, if you want?”

“Yeah. Give us all the details.”

Sonai cleared her voice and started the tale slowly: “Thousands of years ago… a great black storm covered the entire Galar region. The land was assaulted by huge Pokémon and annihilation was imminent… But they were suddenly defeated by a single hero bearing a sword and shield. This statue is meant to honor that hero’s bravery on what we now call ‘the Darkest Day.’”

Gloria took a step closer to the statue, peering up at its face. “What happened to the hero afterwards?”

“Nobody knows. The legend doesn’t say.”

“What about the sword and shield then?” Hop joined in with his own questions. “Do they still exist? Have we found them?”

“Similar artifacts have been discovered but none date back to when this legend supposedly took place.”

“Is it possible then that the Pokémon that we saw were the same ones that tried to destroy Galar all those years ago?” Gloria pondered out loud.

“It’s a possibility… But I don’t think that’s the case.”

“Why not?”

“Because they didn’t actually hurt you guys. So until I have evidence that says otherwise, I’m going to believe that they’re good or at the very least neutral.”

“That makes sense,” Gloria smiled.

“Well, either way, it sounds like you’re going to have a lot of research on your hands,” Hop mused. His eyes then lit up. “Is Lee going to help you out?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

A knot formed between Hop’s eyebrows but instead of pushing the subject, he asked, “Then is there anything we can do to help you?”

“Yeah, of course. If you hear anything about mysterious Pokémon, magical objects, or black storms, let me know.”

“Definitely!” Hop and Gloria promised in unison. Startled by their own speech coordination, the two teenagers started laughing.

“Thanks,” Sonia grinned. “By the way, aren’t you guys staying here tonight? You better go and check-in.”

“Oh yeah! Thanks for the reminder. Night, Sonia!”

Hop and Gloria ran up the stairs, leaving Sonia with the statue. She jotted down some notes on her Rotom phone and spared it one final glance before leaving for her own hotel.

* * *

Sonia stayed strictly indoors for the next couple of days. People from all over Galar and the world had converged onto Motostoke in order to bear witness to the Opening Ceremony. There was no way she was going to go out until a bulk of the festivities were over.

Since she was stuck inside, Sonia decided to do more research on the Hero Statue. There were several credible online databases that provided multiple primary sources about its creation and dedication. The Hero Statue was commissioned by the city more than 300 years ago. It was sculpted out of stone from Galar Mine No. 2. The dedication ceremony was a big event and the statue stood proudly on the main road for centuries.

Despite its cultural significance, Macro Cosmos had the Hero Statue moved to its current location in Budew Drop Inn about 20 years ago. She couldn’t find an official explanation as to why; there were no records publicly available on the matter. Why was moving a statue considered classified information?

Annoyed at the lack of substantial progress, Sonia slammed her laptop shut, threw her glasses off, and belly flopped onto the hotel bed. Yamper yelped in surprise but quickly snuggled next to her. She started brushing through his coat, making sure that the fur was nice and clean. As she groomed her sleepy Puppy Pokémon, the evening news played in the background. It was nice, not having to think for once…

All of a sudden, the next thing she knew, Yamper was wide awake and barking up a storm. He was trying to get her to answer her Rotom phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey. How’s it going, sunshine?” Nessa greeted.

“Oh, you know, I’m starting to get a headache but that’s nothing new.” Sonia rolled onto her back. “What about you? What are you up to?”

“I’m currently downtown with Milo and Piers.”

“Piers? He’s here in Motostoke? Right now? I could have sworn the news said he skipped the Opening Ceremony.”

“He was there all right, just not out on the pitch with the rest of us Gym Leaders. He was incognito and in the stands instead.”

She heard Piers’ voice in the background: “I just wanted to be there as a big brother. Nothin’ wrong with that.”

“Yeah but it was still a breach of contract,” Nessa pointed out before returning to her explanation. “After the Opening Ceremony ended, Piers was confronted by Rose and Oleana. I’m sure you can guess how well that went over.”

Sonia nodded her head. Piers and the Chairman famously had a contentious working relationship. It was easy to imagine the altercation that Nessa was alluding to.

“Anyway, Milo and I intervened before things got too out of hand and now we’re going to a pub. You should come and join us.”

“Yeah?” Alcohol and food sounded great; Sonia’s empty stomach agreed loudly. “Is anyone else coming?”

“Raihan and Leon.”

“Seriously?” Sonia made a face at the ceiling. “Thanks but no thanks. I don’t need another headache.”

“Don’t be like that. It won’t be so bad.”

“Did you forget that I'm still mad at Leon?”

“Do you mean for the fight that happened last week or the one from eight years ago?”

“Both.”

“Then ignore him.”

“What about Raihan?”

“Oh definitely ignore him too.”

“Ness, I really don’t want to end up with a migraine,” Sonia sighed.

“And you won’t because you’re not going to engage with them. It’ll be fine,” Nessa reassured. “So please, Sonia? Come out and join us? Even just for a little bit? I haven’t seen you in months and I miss my best friend.”

“... All right.”

“Yes!”

“But I’m only going to be there for like two hours, you hear me?”

“Sure that’s fine. I’m texting you the address now.”

Once the call ended, Sonia sat up and started rummaging through her duffel travel bag. She hadn’t packed any clothes with social outings in mind but luckily she had made some purchases at a boutique when she first got to the city. Throwing off her sweats, Sonia changed into a scalloped white cami top and a pair of high-rise jeans. Some bangle bracelets and hoop earrings were also tossed on.

Next came hair and makeup. Sonia tweaked her hair a little bit but left it up in its messy bun. Some light foundation, blush, eyeliner, massacre, and lip gloss were then applied.

After a quick glance at the mirror, she slipped on some heeled sandals and grabbed her handbag. “Don’t wait up, Yamper.”

Even though dusk was settling across Motostoke, Sonia went ahead and donned her sunglasses. The dying light was still bright enough to bother her tired eyes.

The address Nessa had texted her led to a decent-sized pub. The inside was dimly lit and unsurprisingly crowded. It took Sonia a couple of minutes to locate her friends. They were sitting in a large booth in the back. Nessa and Milo were on side while Piers, Raihan, and Leon were on the other.

Milo was the first person to see her: “Look who finally made it.”

Nessa peered over and a beautiful smile broke out on her features. With excitement radiating off of her, Nessa climbed over Milo and tackled Sonia into a tight Bewear hug. “You’re here!”

“Took you long enough, Clever Clogs,” Raihan teased.

Sonia stuck her tongue out. “Shut up, Raihan. Nobody asked you.”

“Ignore him. It was time well-spent. I mean look at you. Dressed to the nines!”

“So are you.” Sonia stepped back and gestured at her best friend. Nessa was wearing a sleeveless black maxi dress that showed off her curvy figure. Gentle waves cascaded through her long hair and her makeup was flawless.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Piers rolled his eyes at them. “You’re both gorgeous. We get it. Can we move on now?”

“Nice to see you too, Piers. Sorry about what happened after the Opening Ceremony.”

Piers shrugged a bony shoulder at Sonia. “Eh, they’re pricks so fuck ‘em.”

“Don’t mind him, he’s still in a mood,” Nessa stage-whispered. Then with a wave of her manicured hand, she asked Milo to move over and make some room.

As she got settled in the booth, Sonia found herself sitting across from Leon. He was in casual wear like the rest of their friends. He was sporting a grey crew neck sweater and dark jeans. His wild mane of hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, keeping most of it out of his face. Behind a pair of smart glasses, Leon was watching her warily.

“Hey Sonia.”

“Hi Leon.”

“How’ve you been?”

“Good. You?”

“Same old, same old.”

With the required pleasantries out of the way, Sonia took Nessa’s advice to heart and turned her attention to the Gym Leader of Turffield: “And what about you, Milo? How are you doing?”

“I’m all right, thanks for asking,” Milo answered, not missing a beat. He was the most intuitive member of their friend group after all. “Everything’s going swell. Nessa’s happy, family’s healthy, the farm's doing well, and soon I’ll be battling against Gym Challengers.”

“I actually know two that are headed your way.”

Milo made eye contact with the waiter before smiling at Sonia, “Oh yeah? Are they by chance the Pokémon Trainers who were endorsed by the Champion?”

“The very same.”

“We actually saw them during the ceremony.” Milo’s grin widened. “They seemed like good kids.”

“They are,” Sonia confirmed with a smile of her own. From the corner of her eye, she saw Leon visibly relax; he seemed to like her approval. “I think you’ll really like them.”

The conversation then stopped for a moment as the waiter came over to take their orders. Always a gentleman, Milo allowed Ness and Sonia to go first. Nessa ordered another glass of wine while Sonia asked for some ale and appetizers for the table. Piers and Raihan requested more shots. Leon and Milo got refills for their empty beer mugs.

After the waiter left, Nessa picked up the conversation right where it had left off: “So why all the endorsements this year, Leon?”

“Yeah, what gives, mate?” Raihan threw his arm around Leon’s shoulder, preventing his escape. “You don’t give any endorsements for years and now all of a sudden you hand out two?”

“I just thought it was the right time and right people,” Leon laughed, pushing Raihan off of him.

“So it has nothing to do with Hop being your younger brother?”

“No, it doesn’t. Hop and Gloria won their endorsements fairly.”

“Sure, whatever you say, Champ.”

“I’m serious!”

“I can actually back Leon up on that,” Sonia admitted slowly. “They’ve both got real potential.”

Leon shot a grateful look towards her direction while Raihan smirked, “I’ll believe it when I see it for myself.”

“Don’t forget that Leon’s not the only one endorsing this year,” Nessa easily moved things along.

“That’s right. I’ve endorsed Marnie,” Piers cackled. He took his last remaining shot and then slammed the empty glass against the tabletop. “She’s somethin’ else, I’m tellin’ you. She’s goin’ to come and kick all of our arses.”

“We’ve also got that brat Rose is endorsing. What’s his name again?” Raihan questioned. "Wasn't it Beet or something?"

“It’s Bede actually,” Milo corrected with another smile.

“Well whatever his name is, I heard he’s a real pain the arse.”

Nessa snorted, “Takes one to know one.”

“Piss off, Ness.”

The whole table started to laugh at Raihan’s fake animosity. The Gym Leader of Hammerlocke pretended to be disgruntled before joining in the merriment. Sonia couldn’t remember the last time she laughed so hard.

Their food and drinks arrived shortly after. The conversations no longer involved the whole table and Sonia found herself catching up with Ness and Milo.

The couple had recently celebrated their three-year anniversary with a trip to Alola. They had spent some time at a resort in Hau’oli City before visiting the other islands. Nessa gushed about Seafolk Village and how she could see herself living on a boat after she retired. When Sonia asked for Milo’s opinion on the matter, he just drew his girlfriend closer, kissed the crown of her head, and said he would be fine as long as she remembered to come to shore and visit him every once in a while; it was a sweet gesture.

After Nessa finished showing all of the pictures they had taken in Alola, Sonia announced to the table, “I’m going to get another drink. Any of you want anything while I’m up there?”

When nobody took her up on her offer, Sonia left the table. She navigated the pub easily, twisting and turning with the music, her steps much more fluid thanks to the alcohol. When she reached the bar, the bartender was busy so Sonia commandeered a stool for herself.

A Motostoke local sitting a few seats away soon caught her attention. He was easy on the eyes, especially when he smiled at her; she always had a thing for crooked smiles. Some flirting could probably lead them to her hotel room-

“I take it you’re still angry at me.”

So much for her plan. Sonia reluctantly tore her gaze away from the stranger and acknowledged Leon’s company. He was standing beside her. “No, really? Pray tell, what gave me away?”

“Everything. You’re easy to read, Sonia.”

“Well I have nothing to hide unlike some people.”

“All right, all right.” Leon raised his hands up in surrender. “I deserve that.”

“Drop the humility act.” Sonia closed her eyes. “What do you want, Leon?”

“Fine. I talked to Hop earlier and he told me that you’re still looking into the Pokémon that he and Gloria saw in the Slumbering Weald.” She should have seen that coming. Of course Hop would tell Leon. “Not only that but you’re now trying to see if there’s a connection between those Pokémon and the Darkest Day.”

“Your point?”

“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

“What? You think I can’t handle the research?”

“No, that’s not it-“

“Then stop bullshitting me and just get on with it already.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I just can’t, all right?” Leon muttered. “Please, trust me on this, Sonia.”

Her eyes snapped open and she turned around to face Leon. Sonia tilted her head up and scowled up at him. “How can I trust you when you don’t trust me with anything?”

“What’re you even talking about?”

“Ever since you became the Champion, you try to make all the decisions.” Now that she said it out loud, there was no stopping her resentment. “It's like you think the rest of us incapable or something. It’s absolutely degrading.”

“That’s not what I’m-“

“Fuck you.” Sonia refused to back down. “You’re doing it right now, Leon.”

Something flickered in his golden eyes but it was too fast for Sonia to discern; she angled herself closer to him. What was it? Anger? Disbelief? Or was it regret-

“Hey. Is everything okay over here?”

Sonia and Leon broke their glare to look over at who dared to interrupt them. It was the Mototoke local that she had admired earlier. He apparently walked over to check on them.

“Yeah,” Sonia forced a smile. “We’re fine. Thanks.”

“Are you sure?” The man looked pointedly at her. She blinked in surprise; apparently he was here to check on her. Sonia took a deep breath before replying, “I am. Thank you.”

When the local still didn’t return to his friends, Sonia felt Leon take a step closer and rest his hand on the small of her back; the warmth threatened to slip past her defenses. He then leaned down and whispered into her ear, “Friend of yours?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Fair enough… Be careful, yeah?”

“Don't-“

“‘Cause there are eyes and ears everywhere.”

“What?”

Just as he started pulling away, Sonia turned towards him, and this led to the smallest of collisions. The corner of his mouth brushed against the side of her head. It was the barest touch and an accident too but it stole most of her anger away in one fell swoop.

“Shite. Sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“I-It’s fine. It wasn’t your fault. I’m the one who bumped into you.”

“I’m still sorry though…” Leon looked like he had more to say but he instead shook his head and with a wry smile said, “Have a good night, Sonia.”

Then, as if nothing had transpired, Leon left Sonia to her own devices. She watched him go, her body burning and her mind whirling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a lot longer to write than I expected! Especially the conversation at the end between Sonia and Leon. There were lots of different versions but I like this one best. 
> 
> Stay safe and healthy!


	3. No Dawn, No Day, I'm Always In This Twilight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of 9/13/20, this story and chapter has been rewritten.

Unlike the quaint town it was located in, Turffield Stadium was modern and sleek. It stood out brilliantly against the rolling countryside. As the first stop in the Gym Challenge, large crowds always filled the stadium since everybody wanted to see which Gym Challengers would prove themselves worthy of the Grass Badge.

“Hop’s next!” Gloria bounced in her seat, unable to contain her excitement.

“How do you think he’s going to do?” Sonia asked.

“Well, even though Thwackey is a Grass-type, he’s got Wooloo and Corvisquire on his team so he’ll be fine. He’s good to go. After all, he’s been preparing for the Gym Challenge his entire life.”

“And what about you?” Gloria’s battle was scheduled for tomorrow.

“Raboot and I aren’t worried at all,” Gloria grinned, full of enthusiasm and fearlessness. “We’ve got this.”

“That’s good to hear-”

“Look!” Gloria shot up to her feet and started yelling, “There he is! There’s Hop!”

Hop emerged from the tunnel and stepped onto the pitch confidently. He didn’t pause to take in the momentous occasion. Instead he marched forward, eyes straight ahead, determined to meet the Gym Leader of Turffield head on.

Milo smiled and shook hands with Hop at the center mark. They spoke briefly, no doubt the Gym Leader commending the Gym Challenger on his quick work of the Gym Mission. The two then took their positions on opposite ends of the center circle.

As the stadium announcer formally introduced the match-up, Hop started to psych himself up. He jumped in place and smacked his cheeks. Notalgia hit Sonia hard and without warning: 10 year old Leon used to do the same exact thing.

Now that he was on her mind, Sonia couldn’t help but wonder where the Champion was; she hasn’t seen him since their fight in Motostoke. He wasn’t here in Turffield that was for sure. More than likely Leon was cheering on Hop from his flat in Wyndon.

“I knew Wooloo would be Hop’s first choice.” Using Gloria’s commentary as a much needed distraction, Sonia sat back and watched the match unfold.

* * *

Sonia was still in Turffield a few days later. It had finally stopped raining so that meant she could actually take her time and study the Geoglyph of Turffield. The Geoglyph was an archaeological wonder. It dated back approximately 3,000 years ago. Standing at about 100 meters high by 50 meters long, the hill figure depicted an interpretation of the Darkest Day: a huge Pokémon unleashing a devastating attack. It didn’t look like either of the Pokémon that Hop had described seeing in the Slumbering Weald.

“Sonia! There you are.” Milo sat down next to her on the bench and wiped his brow. “Taking in the scenery?”

“Something like that.”

“That’s a nice drawing you got there. Is it for your research?”

“Yeah. Did Nessa tell you all about it?”

“Mhmm. She did. She said you’ve been working hard to crack the case.”

“I’ve been trying to but I haven’t really made any gains.”

“Sometimes trying is all you can do,” Milo remarked kindly. “Just keep giving it your best.”

It was always nice talking to Milo. While his girlfriend was blunt and a firm believer of tough love, Milo was always gentle in both his actions and words. In all honesty, Sonia was lucky to have both of them as close friends.

“Anyway… I just wrapped up my Gym Leader duties for the day so we can get going, if you’re ready.”

“I am. Thanks again for the lift.”

“It’s not a problem. I’m always happy to help.”

“You’re also always happy to see Nessa.”

“Guilty as charged,” Milo laughed unabashedly.

They made their way over to Milo’s farm. Located on the outskirts of Turffield, the property was lovely. There were fields of crops and flowers along with plenty of Wooloo grazing around freely.

Parked in front was Milo’s truck. Once inside the vehicle, Milo slid the key into the ignition. The engine sputtered to life after a few tries and they were off.

As he drove them onto a dirt road, Sonia asked, “So now that you’ve battled the famous endorsements, what do you think of them?”

“Bede is very proud and single-minded; he’s going to get on Raihan’s nerves for sure. There’s a quiet determination to Marnie that’s very similar to Piers. Hop is just like Leon, no surprise there. As for Gloria, she’s a bit of a wild card.”

“Do you think any of them will make it to the Champion Cup?”

“All of them have the potential to.”

“What about the Finals then? There can only be one Gym Challenger after all.”

“That’s a good question. Hmmm… Let me think about it for a minute.”

While Milo collected his thoughts, Sonia cranked open the window in order to get a better view of Route 5’s landscape. Trees of all shapes and sizes lined the country road. The hills were covered in wild grass and there were lots of Pokémon roaming about; she saw a large number of Spritzes and Swirlixes in particular.

They then crossed the Route 5 Bridge. The Wild Area sprawled beneath them and to the north was Hammerlocke. Interestingly the city resembled a Dynmaxed Dragon-type from this distance.

“I’m guessing it’ll be a toss up between Hop and Gloria.”

“Really?” Sonia’s interest perked up.

“I can’t explain why, mind you, it’s just my gut feeling.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see if you’re right then.”

“Please don’t tell Nessa or Raihan about my prediction.”

“Why not?”

The Fighting Farmer rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. “They’re so competitive. They’ll want to turn it into some kind of elaborate bet and I won’t be able to keep up with them.”

“Meaning that you’ll lose all of your money?”

“Exactly.”

Milo then proceeded to provide many examples of how he had lost bets against his girlfriend and her ex-lover in the past. The rest of the trip flew by thanks to the hilarious conversation.

They reached Hulbury in record time. The port city was bustling and full of energy. There were all kinds of people out and about. Some were locals, like fisherman and merchants, while others were clearly tourists, only there to see the next leg of the Gym Challenge.

Nessa and her townhouse soon came into view. She was watering her plants while wearing a sports bra, joggers, and nothing on her pedicured toes. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. Even in athleisure, Nessa looked stunning.

As Milo parked his truck, Nessa set her watering can down and raced over to greet them. She opened the driver side door and poked her head in. After stealing a long kiss from Milo, Nessa grinned at Sonia cheekily. “Glad to see you made it in one piece.”

“Was there ever any doubt?” Sonia exited the vehicle.

”Well, I mean, you did just total your car for like the fifth time.”

“It's only the second time and I’ll have you know it wasn’t even my fault this time.”

”Uh huh, sure.” Nessa then smacked the hood of the truck fondly. “Anyway, I was actually talking about this piece of junk. It has a history of breaking down.”

“That’s not true," Milo replied with a hearty laugh. "You just have the absolute worst luck when it comes to manual transmission."

“Let’s agree to disagree.” Nessa winked. “Now let’s hurry up and get inside. You guys made it just in time for the new episode of my favorite Kantonian game show!”

* * *

Sonia and Nessa were lounging at the lighthouse later in the week. With her legs dangling between the railing, Sonia inhaled the sea air. It was invigorating. Since the weather was so delightful, if one squinted long and hard at the horizon, it was possible to see the sliver of an island in the distance. “When was the last time you were at the Isle of Armor?”

“Probably when I was 16?” Nessa brushed back some locks of hair behind her ear. “The Old Man trained Raihan and me so we could become Gym Leaders.”

“Didn’t you two start dating around that time?”

“Dating is probably too strong of a word,” Nessa laughed, not at all bothered by her romantic history. “We messed around a lot. It was fun while it lasted though.”

“I’m glad you’re with Milo now.”

“Me too.” The joyful smile on Nessa’s face said it all.

“You guys make relationships look so easy.”

“Compared to you and Leon? Definitely.”

Sonia kicked her legs through the air. “Shut up.”

“Hey, you’re the one who brought up past relationships, not me.”

“Leon and I were never anything,” Sonia retorted.

“Yeah right.”

“I’m serious.”

“Come off it.” Nessa rested her head on Sonia’s shoulder. “The two of you were and always are something.”

“That’s one way of putting it…”

“It’s true and you know it-”

“Gym Leader Nessa!”

At her title being yelled, Nessa peered over the edge and swore. Standing at the foot of the lighthouse was Dan. The referee of Hulbury Stadium was red in the face, huffing and puffing as he returned his boss’ glare. “Get down from there! Don’t act like you didn’t know that you have a full day of matches!”

“Busted,” Sonia snickered.

“He’s such a drag,” the Raging Wave muttered, not at all moved by her employee’s angry plea.

“Come on, Ness, let’s do as he says before you cause him to have a hemorrhage.”

* * *

After Hop and Gloria successfully secured their Water Badge, Sonia decided to treat them at the Captain’s Table. The teenagers readily accepted the offer; there was no way they were going to pass up free food.

“Welcome to the Captain’s Table. Will you be dining in with us this evening?”

“Yes,” Sonia confirmed to the maître’d. “There will be three of us.”

“Very well. A table should be available in about an hour. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready.”

Since the wait was going to be long but completely worth it, they made themselves comfortable in the waiting area. Sonia listened as Hop and Gloria discussed their next moves in the Gym Challenge. They both agreed to take some time and train in Galar Mine No. 2. Kabu was a formidable opponent and they didn’t want to take any chances. The teenagers then asked Sonia about her experiences and she regaled them with some stories from the past.

“I can’t believe Leon did that,” Hop laughed.

“Do you think he did it on purpose?” Like because he wanted the extra challenge?” Gloria questioned gleefully.

Sonia shook her head. “No, he just hadn’t paid any attention to the directions and as a result made the Gym Mission that much harder for himself.”

“That’s Lee for you,” Hop grinned. “He’s directionally challenged in more than one way.”

The pun caused all of them to have another fit of laughter. They were laughing so much that none of them realized an audience had gathered in front of them.

“Surely you all aren’t making fun of our beloved Champion.”

“C-Chairman Rose!” Hop and Gloria yelped in surprise. Put on the spot, they didn’t know what to say next.

Sonia quickly stepped in and helped them out: “There’s nothing wrong with satirizing power.”

The most powerful person in Galar lowered his sunglasses and beamed at her. “Why if it isn’t Professor Magnolia’s granddaughter. I haven’t seen you in years. How are you, Sonia?”

“I’m well. And you?”

“Grand, absolutely grand, thank you for asking.” With a tilt of his head, Rose posed a new question, “Are you with these young Gym Challengers?”

“I am. We’re waiting for our table.”

“Is that so? Then you should all dine with me.”

Behind Rose, Oleana’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Chairman, we’re on a tight schedule.”

“And we couldn’t possibly impose,” Sonia added.

“Nonsense! I insist! The more, the merrier.”

Rose happily led them to the chef’s table. He sat down at the head of the table while the rest of them filled in the remaining seats. Oleana declined to sit and opted to stand behind her superior.

“Hop and Gloria! Congratulations to your recent victories!” The Chairman of the Galar League proclaimed with a big gesture. “You both fought valiantly against Milo and Nessa.”

“You saw our battles?”

“Of course! This is my favorite time of the year so whenever I get the chance, I go and watch the competition first hand.”

“That’s awesome! What did you think of our strategies?”

“I thought you both fought cleverly-”

“Do you have any advice for us moving forward?”

“Now, now. Before I answer any more of your questions, I must ask that both of you first take a look at the menu. Hulbury is a seafood town. Naturally, if one is going to eat here, the obvious choice is the local cuisine. I can attest that every dish is delicious.”

As the teenagers busied themselves with the menu, Rose turned to Sonia. “It’s truly been ages since I last saw you, Sonia. You are no longer in Hammerlocke, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m staying with my grandparents right now.”

“How are you and the Professor getting along?”

“Well enough. She’s been keeping me busy. There’s always a lot of work at the Pokémon Lab.”

“I can imagine. So what are you currently working on?”

“Recently I’ve been trying to gather some information on some mysterious Pokémon that were sighted at the Slumbering Weald.”

“Really?” There was a glint in the Chairman’s green eyes. “And you’re also trying to see if they have a connection to the Darkest Day, correct?”

“Yeah… Where did you hear that from?”

“From Professor Magnolia, of course,” Rose lied smoothly. “You know, visiting Hammerlocke Vault may be worth your time." 

Sonia played along with a smile, “That’s a good idea.”

“Excellent! Then I will go ahead and send word to the staff at Hammerlocke Museum-”

“Sir,” the Vice Chairwoman of Macro Cosmos easily interrupted his monologue.

“Yes, Oleana?”

“It’s time for us to get going.”

“What? Already? But we haven’t even ordered yet.”

“Sir.”

“Very well… It’s regrettable but I suppose it can’t be helped. If something needs to be done, then there’s no time like the present.” Rose refolded his napkin and set it aside. “Friends, I’m sorry that I have to leave you all early but please take your time and enjoy. Dinner is on me.” His smile widened like aThievul's. “I look forward to seeing all of you in the near future. Have a good night.”

After Rose and Oleana departed, things calmed back down. Hop and Gloria once again started chatting though now their conversations were focused on the Chairman; he clearly made a good impression on them. Though her mind was occupied with processing what had just happened, Sonia made sure to smile and nod her head accordingly.

Once their meal was finished, Sonia quickly bid goodnight and good luck to the teenagers. Then they parted ways; Hop and Gloria to the local hostel while Sonia made her way back to Nessa’s townhouse.

“Hey!” Nessa hollered from the sitting room. She was in the middle of video chatting with Milo but she paused long enough to ask, “How was dinner at the Captain’s Table?”

“It was good. Hop and Gloria enjoyed it. Oh and I remembered to buy some of your favorites as a take-away.”

“Awesome! Thank you so much! You’re the best!” Nessa gushed. “Just leave it in the kitchen and I’ll take care of it later.”

“Okay. I’m going to go ahead and head upstairs. Good night Ness. Give my love to Milo.”

“Will do. Night Sonia.”

Once in the guest bedroom and finally alone, Sonia sat down at the foot of the bed and began reviewing the evening once again. Her conversation with Rose had put her on edge. How did he know about the current angle of her research? It certainly wasn’t from Gran; she hadn’t spoken to her grandmother since she left Wedgehurst. And why was he helping her get into Hammerlocke Vault? Why was he interested in the Darkest Day? What did he have to gain?

There was only one person (other than Rose) who could answer her questions. But would Leon actually answer them? Probably not.

Sonia slowly summoned her Rotom phone. The Pokémon in the device woke up and floated in front of her, waiting eagerly for her next command. Taking a deep breath, she scrolled through her contacts until she found a substitute for Leon: this man wasn’t going to be able to answer her questions about Rose but he could still prove to be useful. As long as he hadn’t changed his number. Or blocked her’s.

It rang several times and ultimately sent her to voicemail, which wasn’t surprising at all. “Hey… It’s me, Sonia. I need to ask you for a favor. It’s about Hammerlocke Vault. Call me back later. Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Covered quite a bit in this chapter! The goal was to have Sonia spend time with other characters. Milo and Nessa were a lot of fun to write. They'll definitely reappear later in the story. 
> 
> Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!


	4. In The Shadow Of Your Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of 9/13/20, the first three chapters of this story has been rewritten.

Once upon a time, Hammerlocke was just a castle. It was built in the first century of the medieval era. Its purpose was to protect the northern half of Galar from the Wild Area. Over time, thanks to commerce and trade, the village inside its walls grew into a prosperous town and then later into an impressive city. Hammerlocke eventually became the center of Galar.

“Oi! Clever Clogs! What’re you doing? Talking to inanimate objects again?”

“Oh, pack it in, Raihan.”

“Hey now. Is that any way to talk to an old friend?” Raihan smirked. He took a long sip from his energy drink, smugly judging her. “Especially one you’re asking a favor from?”

“Don’t make me regret this.”

“Aye, aye, doc.”

Together they slipped into Hammerlocke Museum. Raihan made sure to greet all of the curators and support staff. The employees were thrilled to see him. They chatted excitedly and provided updates on the museum’s exhibits and operations. Raihan, much to his credit, listened attentively and didn’t rush any of the speakers. It was only after the conversation had naturally run their courses that he brought up the reason for their visit.

Nobody stopped them from scaling the three flights of stairs that led to the Hammerlocke Vault. Once on the right floor, Raihan made quick work of the security system. He then pushed open the large doors and bowed mockingly to Sonia: “After you, milady.”

She rolled her eyes but her retort dissipated as soon as she stepped into the vault. Awe rendered her speechless.

“Nickit got your tongue?”

Words weren’t enough to describe the grandeur of Hammerlocke Vault. It was a beautiful testament against time. The dream of every historian.

Slowly, out of sheer respect for the brilliance, Sonia approached the Tapestries. The woven pieces of art were displayed on the high walls. They were immaculately preserved.

“Thousands of years ago, a celestial event graced the skies of Galar. An unprecedented amount of Wishing Stars fell. The energy released from them led to a cataclysmic disaster. Huge Pokémon rampaged and destroyed huge swaths of the land.”

Sonia took a moment to scrutinize the scene she had just described. The Tapestries depicted the Pokémon as gigantic but none of them looked like the mysterious Pokémon that Hop had described.

“People tried to use Pokémon and technology to content the destruction but to no avail. Then two youths, desperate to help, traveled across the region in search of hope. During their long journey, they discovered a sword and shield with immense power. They returned to Hammerlocke and were able to stop the disaster. With peace restored, Galarians thanked the youths by crowning them the first Kings of Galar.”

A slow clap filled the vault. “Bravo. What a thrilling rendition.” Raihan sauntered over to her side. “If you already know the legend by heart, what am I even doing here?”

Ignoring his sarcasm, Sonia pulled out her notebook and opened it to the next blank page. “I wanted to bounce some ideas off of you.”

“Why me? I don’t have a doctorate. Go ask your peers at Hammerlocke University.”

“I already have,” Sonia replied. “And as educated as they are, they’re not the Guardian of the Vault.”

“That’s true.” Raihan crossed his arms behind his neck and flashed his canines. “All right, ask away, Clever Clogs.”

“Is it possible that the disaster referenced in the Tapestries was actually the Darkest Day?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not.”

“Well if it’s the same legend, why are the protagonists different?”

“Maybe it has something to do with the Revolution.”

“Which one are you referring to?” There had been two major revolutions in Galar’s history. The First Galarian Revolution saw the absolute monarchy peacefully transition into a constitutional monarchy. The Second Galarian Revolution was much more violent; it dismantled the monarchy entirely.

“The second one.”

“Okay. What about it?”

“Humor me, Clever Clogs. How did the anti-monarchists run the new government?”

“They changed everything, from businesses to military and even education…” Raihan gestured for her to continue putting two and two together. “And they decided how history would be taught… Which meant they changed the narrative in their favor. Of course! That must be why the First Kings became the Hero. The republic wanted the people to celebrate an everyday person that they all could aspire to be rather than royalty.”

“Bingo.”

Sonia finished scribbling down the hypothesis before tapping her pen against the notebook. This was a lot of information to process. If the hypothesis was right (she would need to verify it with supporting evidence later), why was the cover-up still actively happening 400 years later? It wasn’t as if the government was in danger of being overthrown… So why was Macro Cosmos spearheading the efforts?

Was it the conglomerate’s way of staying in the good graces of the government? Was capitalism really the only reason why Rose was interested in the Darkest Day? But that didn’t make sense: shouldn’t he have been trying to stop her rather than help her?

And what about Leon? How did he fit into all of this?

“Yoohoo, Clever Clogs,” Raihan interrupted Sonia’s thoughts in an annoying sing-song voice. “You’re being awfully quiet. What’s going on in that big brain of yours?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Well if you’re done playing 20 questions, let’s get out of here. I’m freezing.”

After Hammerlocke Vault was locked up once again, Raihan escorted her out of the museum using the back exit. Once outside, they both rested under a sunny spot and checked their respective phones. Sonia pulled up a regional bus schedule while Raihan scrolled through his social media notifications.

“Huh.”

“What?”

“Apparently Leon’s here.”

“What? Where? I don’t see him anywhere.”

“He’s somewhere in the city.” Raihan tossed over his phone. “Our fans have been tagging me selfies they took with him.” Sure enough there were tons of image posts using the hashtags “Raihan,” “Leon,” “Hammerlocke,” and “kbdn.”

"People are still using your ship name?”

“Of course,” Raihan grinned. “Why wouldn’t they?”

“Because of Piers?”

“He doesn’t care. He knows that Leon and I are just friends.”

“That makes sense.” When she reached the end of the feed, Sonia returned his phone. “You should go and find Leon.”

“Isn’t that your job, Clever Clogs?”

“Hasn’t been in years.” Besides, if he learned what she had been up to, he wouldn’t be pleased with her. “Anyway, thanks for all of your help today.”

“Wait. Hold up. Did I just hear you express _genuine_ gratitude to me?”

She laughed at his over-the-top sarcasm: “Don’t get used to it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Raihan snickered. “So where are you off to next?”

“Stow-on-Side.”

“Have fun with that.” As he walked away, Raihan gave her a friendly one finger salute. “See ya around, Clever Clogs.”

* * *

Stow-on-Side, as it turned out, was not fun at all. It was the exact opposite. A bust in all honesty. The Ancient Mural wasn’t helpful in the slightest.

The only good thing about Stow-on-Side came in the form of Hop and Gloria. Sonia was able to watch them challenge the Gym Leaders of Stow-on-Side Stadium. Hop faced off against Bea while Gloria battled Allister. The battles were fierce but the Gym Challengers were ultimately victorious.

Since it was only mid-morning, the three of them browsed through the Stow-on-Side Market together. Sonia normally loved shopping. Retail therapy was great but the dry heat of the town was sucking all the joy out of the experience. It caused Sonia and Yamper to retire early under a store’s canopy and wait for the teenagers to finish up.

Hop and Gloria were supposed to be buying supplies for the next leg of their journey (it was best not to underestimate Glimwood Tangle) but their winnings allowed them to make some extra purchases. By the time they regrouped, the teenagers’ arms were full of shopping bags.

Sonia arched an eyebrow. “What’s all this?”

“There were so many deals, Sonia, we couldn’t pass them up.” Gloria set the bags down and massaged her wrists.

“Yeah, everything was a bargain,” Hop backed her up.

“Do share the details.”

“Well, take this Silk Scarf, for example. Normally it’s 5,000 Poké dollars but I negotiated the price down to 3,000.” That was just the retail price but Sonia couldn’t bring herself to tell him.

“And I bought a Chipped Pot-“

An explosion suddenly cut off Gloria. The deafening sound was immediately followed by a rapid succession of violent tremors. People and Pokémon alike screamed as they held on and took cover.

As soon as the shaking subsided, Hop scanned the area, “What was that? An earthquake?”

“Can’t be,” Sonia coughed, trying to get the dust out of her lungs. “There’s… There’s no fault lines around here.”

“Maybe it came from the stadium. Let’s check and see!”

They pushed past the confused locals and panicked tourists. When they reached the Stow-on-Side Stadium, Bea and Allister were out front, assessing the situation. “Hey! Are you guys all right?”

Sonia answered for the group: “We’re fine, just a little shaken up. How about you two?”

“Same here.”

“Do you know what happened?” Hop demanded.

Allister shook his head while Bea replied, “We have no idea. We were training inside when it happened-“

“Look!” Gloria pointed to the northwestern cliffs. “There’s smoke rising over there!”

“That’s where the Ancient Mural is…” The realization darkened Bea’s features. “This could be bad. We need to act fast. Allister and Gloria: go alert the authorities.”

“M’kay… Let’s go,” Allister mumbled to Gloria.

“Hop and Sonia, you two are with me. Have your Pokémon ready.”

The Karate Prodigy then sprinted towards the Ancient Mural. Hop, Sonia, and Yamper followed closely behind. When they reached the top viewing platform, a man-made disaster was waiting for them.

“Bede!” Hop yelled. “What the hell are you doing?!”

The Psychic-specialist mocked him. “What does it look like? I’m collecting Wishing Stars, of course.”

“Are you crazy?! You need to stop!”

“Why should I?”

“Because this is a protected cultural site,” Sonia snapped at the egotistical teenager.

“Oh please. There’s nothing worth saving here. It’s a piece of shite. Nobody will miss it.”

“That’s not your call to make!”

“Watch me,” Bede challenged. “Copperajah! Use Heat Crash!”

The call to action caused the Cooperajah to erupt into flames. It then slammed the full force of its massive body into the Ancient Mural. Fire scorched the cliff side. Huge embers and pieces of rocks broke off, threatening to spread the fire.

“Cramorant!” Hop shouted. “Use Water Gun!”

Searching through her purse, Sonia quickly located the Poké Ball she was looking for. “Lanturn! Help out with Hydro Pump!”

As the Water-types tried to put out the fires, massive cracks formed across the mural. Copperajah smashed into the site once more. Large slabs started to rupture and Bea called out, “Machamp, use Strength!”

“No, I won’t let you get in the bloody way! This is all for the Chairman!” Bede snarled at their teamwork. “Iron Head, Copperajah!”

The Copperdam Pokemon obeyed and started to rear its head back. There was no way for Cramorant, Lantern, or Machamp to deal with the incoming attack. But it needed to be stopped or else the mural’s cliff side would collapse and bury them alive. With no other choice, Sonia made a split-second decision: “Yamper! Use Protect!”

Like a bolt of lightning, Yamper flashed in front of the incoming attack. He was tiny in comparison to his opponent but that didn’t deter him. His growl created a forcefield just in time to block the blow.

“You bitch! Copperajah, use High Horsepower!”

It was a gamble but Sonia ordered Yamper to use the move a second time. The forcefield appeared again but it was significantly weaker than the previous one. The defensive move was also taking a heavy toll on Yamper’s energy reserves. Her Puppy Pokémon wouldn’t be able to keep this up for much longer.

Bede was well aware of this too: “High Horsepower again, Copperajah! Crush them!”

“Use Protect again!”

The forcefield flickered into place for a third time but before the hind legs of the Copperrajah could test it, the attack was suddenly stopped by a streak of orange. Sonia gasped as she realized what it was: Leon’s Charizard was clawing back the Copperajah. He was strong enough to push back and throw the Copperajah off balance.

“What the fuck-“

“Challenger Bede!”

Through the dust and smoke, the combined forces of the Galar League and Macro Cosmos appeared. The Champion led the charge while the Chairman and Vice Chairwoman were flanked by countless members of the Galar League staff. It was reminiscent of an army.

Leon swiftly made his way over to Sonia, Yamper, and Charizard. He didn’t spare her a single glance; his golden eyes were trained on the task at hand.

“What is the meaning of this?” Oleana started interrogating Bede. “When we gave you permission to borrow the Chairman’s Pokémon, we did not sanction the desecration of the Ancient Mural.”

“Who cares about these ruins when the next thousand years are at stake?!” What was Bede talking about? “I did what the rest of you weren’t willing to!”

“How dare you-“

Rose interrupted Oleana’s rage: “That’s enough.” His face was uncharacteristically serious. “I’m afraid you’ve completely missed the point, Bede.”

“What are you talking about, sir?”

“Everything we do, we do for Galar,” Rose emphasized slowly. “But this? Destroying the mural is akin to destroying Galar. You show no love towards Galar.”

“That’s not true-“

“I cannot allow you to continue down this path.”

“Sir?”

“It pains me to say this but you are clearly not worthy. You are hereby fired from Macro Cosmos and terminated from the Gym Challenge. You will return to Hammerlocke with us, where we will determine your other consequences.”

“You… You must be joking. Right, sir?”

“The Chairman is not,” Oleana stated in a monotone.

The disgraced teenager nervously backed away from the Galar League staff members. “You can’t do this, sir.” His facial features twisted up. “I’m doing this all for you. Just let me finish what I started. Copperajah-“

“Don’t do it, Bede,” Leon spoke up for the first time; his voice was severe. He was absolutely furious. “Or Charizard and I will end this ourselves.”

The threat shocked Bede and the Galar League Staff members seized the opportunity to grab hold of him. They confiscated and transferred several items to the Chairman. One of the items was an Ultra Ball: Rose used it to recall his Pokémon.

“Sir! Please!” Bede struggled against the custody, desperate to redeem himself. “I’m sorry-“

“Take him to the car. I’ll be there in a moment,” Rose dismissed his employees coolly. He then addressed the rest of them with a somber smile. “Nothing like this should have ever come to pass. You all have my sincerest apology.”

With measured steps, he approached what was left of the Ancient Mural. Bea’s Machamp was no longer trying to hold it together. The Superpower Pokémon was now shifting through the rubble, trying to clean up the mess. “Terrible shame, all of this. An absolute disaster really.” Sonia couldn’t read his expression. “Please know that Macro Cosmos will take full responsibility for what happened here and will assist in the future restoration efforts.”

“Thank you, Chairman. I’m sure that Stow-on-Side will appreciate your support,” Bea bowed her head deeply.

“We must do what is right,” Rose declared. “I will go speak to the authorities now. Leon? Care to join me?”

“I will after I’ve seen that everyone here has been cared for medically.”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

* * *

After leaving the ruins of the Ancient Mural, Leon brought them to Stow-on-Side’s clinic. It was packed. As they waited for their turn, Allister and Gloria found them, as did the police who took their testimonies. An hour passed before there were doctors available to see them. The teenagers were checked first. Both Hop and Bea were treated for mild heat exhaustion.

Everyone offered to wait for Sonia but she instructed them to go and get some rest; they were clearly tired. It was Leon who eventually convinced them to listen to reason. He first took Bea and Allister back to their respective homes before walking Hop and Gloria back to the motel.

By the time Sonia got out of the clinic, the afternoon sun was on the last leg of its journey. She made a quick detour at the Pokémon Center (Yamper and Lanturn more than deserved the rest) before trudging herself back to the motel. Nobody saw her enter the lobby or sneak into the stairwell; they were all too busy watching the news coverage.

It didn’t surprise her in the least to see Leon standing outside of her motel room. He looked up as soon as he heard her slow footsteps. “Hey.”

“Hi.”

“You okay?” Leon took her in carefully.

“Yeah. Just some first and second degree burns.”

“They give you anything for them?”

“Mhmm,” Sonia hummed.

“Good.”

She unlocked the door and then said, “Come on in.”

The motel room was cool and clean. She threw her purse onto the bed before informing Leon, “I’m going to take a shower first but then we’re going to talk.” They needed to put aside their personal baggage for the time being and rationally assess what had just happened.

“All right.”

She left Leon for the bathroom. The tiny space was a sanctuary. She carefully peeled the dirty clothes off of her blistered skin and stepped into the shower stall. The spray massaged her sore muscles and tense nerves. Unfortunately the water turned ice cold in a matter of minutes. She got out of the shower and put on some clean clothes (a tank top, jacket, and shorts) and new bandages.

Her hair always took a while to dry so with a towel in hand, Sonia exited the bathroom and plodded across the carpet to the balcony. As she opened the sliding door, dry air that was still tinged with the smell of smoke greeted her. A sigh escaped her as she flopped down into the plastic chair next to Leon’s; he shifted in his seat, acknowledging her.

They sat in silence together for a few minutes, both blankly staring at the ocean. She started drying sections of her hair while Leon ignited a lighter off and on. “Since when do you smoke?”

“Since I was 18.”

“Really?” She stole a peek at him from the corner of her eye. “I’ve never heard or seen anything about it.”

“That’s because the League keeps it out of the press and off of the Internet.”

“I see.” It was a good PR decision. After all, as the Champion, Leon was a role model for millions of impressionable children all across Galar.

“Yeah.” He then added a footnote: “I’ve been trying to quit though.”

“Is that right?”

Leon nodded his head once. “Some days are easier than others.” He frowned at the lighter. “Anyway, I don’t think we’re here to discuss my smoking habit. What did you want to talk about, Sonia?”

She took a deep breath before answering him, “That night at the pub in Motostoke… You were warning me about Rose, right?”

“Nothing gets past you, huh?” Leon shook his head, simultaneously impressed and annoyed with her. “‘Course you figured it out. Guess that’s why they call you a genius.”

Sonia rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” Then in a more serious voice, she said, “I can’t take all the credit. Rose basically outed himself when he lied to me.”

“Oh yeah?” Leon kept his tone casual. “When did you get to talk to him?”

“Over dinner at the Captain’s Table. Hop didn’t tell you about it?”

“He of course talked about the dinner but he didn’t mention your conversation with Rose. He was probably too busy fanboying and didn’t even notice it happening.”

The rare snide comment from Leon caused the corners of Sonia’s lips to twitch upwards. “Hop certainly was excited.”

A lull followed but unlike past moments of prolonged silence, this one didn’t bother Sonia. It wasn’t awkward, irritating, or frustrating. Rather, it felt encouraging, this current space between them. It was open and free. It gave her the courage to ask the question that had been bothering her the most lately: “Leon, why is Rose so interested in the Darkest Day?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you know then?”

“I know that he’s been obsessed with it for years.”

Sonia watched as Leon wrestled with himself internally, trying to decide how much to reveal to her. He started flicking the lighter off and on again. The tiny flame danced for a second before being extinguished, over and over again. It was practically hypnotic. Then, without warning, Leon stopped and tossed the lighter over to her; she caught it without a second thought.

“There are teams throughout Macro Cosmos’ subsidiaries that are dedicated to researching the Darkest Day.”

“Seriously? I didn’t know that.”

“Everything they do related to the Darkest Day is considered top secret.”

“Are you privy to that information?”

“Barely but I do know that’s the main reason why they’re gathering Wishing Stars.”

“Do you know what they’re going to do with them?”

“I haven’t the slightest clue.”

“Hmm… Wishing Stars.“ Sonia rolled the lighter in her palm. “That’s what Bede said he was after at the Ancient Mural.”

“Doesn’t surprise me. Bede was the youngest employee at the Macro Cosmos.”

“I think Bede knew, at least partially, what they’re being collected for.”

“Why do you think that?”

“He said as much to Oleana, remember?”

“Must have missed it; I was preoccupied at that time. What did he say?”

“He said ’the next thousands years are at stake.’’

“That sounds familiar…” Leon easily got up from the chair. “Now that I think about it, Rose is always talking about how the past is the key to the future.”

“Weird. What exactly is he up to?”

“I don’t know but if you actually discover a connection between those Pokémon from the Slumbering Weald and the Darkest Day, don’t let Rose or Macro Cosmos find out about it.”

“Wasn't planning on it.”

“And if I learn anything useful, I’ll let you know.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He extended his hand down to her.

She considered his offer for a moment. Could she really trust him to continue being honest? A part of her yearned to believe him but the other part of her was naturally suspicious. What if this backfired on her? It was a huge gamble either way but there was only one way to truly find out. “Okay.” They shook each other’s hand with care.

As their hands withdrew, a yawn escaped Sonia; the long day was finally catching up with her. There was a knowing, crooked smile on his face. “And that’s my cue. I’ll see myself out. Get some sleep, Sonia.”

“Wait, Leon.” She reached out and grasped his wrist. The skin there was especially soft under her fingertips. It warmed her. “What about your lighter? Don’t you want it back?”

“Nah. Keep it for me, yeah?”

“All right,” she agreed with a small smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm finally back! Thank you for your patience. I'll try to update more regularly; with my motivation back, writing has become a positive outlet for me again. 
> 
> This chapter took several months to get right but I'm happy with the results. Mainly because Sonia and Leon are finally on speaking terms again. This doesn’t mean everything will be smooth sailing for them but they’re definitely going to start working together. What shenanigans will they get up to?
> 
> I should also note that for this story, Sonia is an Electric-specialist. Her other Pokémon will appear in the future!
> 
> Stay safe and healthy!


	5. And In The Dark, I Can Hear Your Heartbeat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of 9/13/20, the first three chapters of this story has been rewritten.

The disaster at the Ancient Mural had a bigger impact on Sonia than she foresaw. Both her body and mind were drained to the point that she couldn’t even muster the minimum amount of energy or willpower required to leave her motel room. It ultimately took a few days for her to fully recuperate.

Once she was feeling better, Sonia dressed in some overalls and got back out on the streets of Stow-on-Side, ready to provide assistance. The locals were happy to have her. There was still so much that needed to be done as part of the recovery efforts.

Since the larger debris had already been taken care of by trainers with stronger Pokémon (like Bea and Allister), everyone was currently focusing on the town itself. Each person was in charge of a small area; Sonia was asked to help clean up a store right by the marketplace.

After sweeping and throwing away the last of the rubble, Sonia started washing the storefront. It required some teamwork from her and her Pokémon. Lanturn first doused the display windows with water. Then Sonia lathered and scrubbed the ash and dust off. Yamper and Rotom (who was still possessing her phone) pointed out any spots that she missed with cheerful barks and beeps When they weren’t checking her work, the enthusiastic pair was off chasing after stray bubbles, which wasn’t nearly as helpful but it was just as cute.

Half an hour later, she wiped the sweat off her brow and examined her own progress for herself. Most of the glass panes were now successfully cleaned off. The next thing she needed to deal with was the filthy signage above the windows. The height was a problem though. She was tall but not that tall; surely somebody had a ladder she could borrow…

Yamper’s excited barks interrupted her train of thought. Her Puppy Pokémon bounded over to greet Leon and Charizard. While their Pokémon playfully caught up with one another, Sonia eyed Leon curiously; she was surprised to see that he was still in town. He was wearing his Champion uniform sans cape and his friendly public persona was out on full force.

“Morning Sonia.”

“Good morning Leon.”

“How’s it going?”

“Good, it’s going good, I guess…”

Why was it so awkward to talk to him now? They were fine a couple of evenings ago.

“-need some help?”

“Huh?” Sonia blinked in surprise. Her gut reaction was to reject his offer but then she reminded herself they had reached an understanding of sorts.

If Leon was willing to try and work with her, then shouldn’t she be doing the same as well? No matter how awkward it might be? And if so, wouldn’t it be good if they started with something relatively easy like cleaning?

But wasn’t he busy? Didn’t people need him elsewhere? “You sure?”

“Yeah, it’s not a problem.” He knelt down and picked up two washcloths from the sud-filled bucket. He wrung them out before wrapping one around Charizard’s claws. “Are you actually doing all right?”

“Mhmm. Why do you ask?”

“Well, you were MIA for a bit, you know.”

“It’s fine, I’m fine.”

“What about your burns?”

“It’s still a bit too early to say…” She glanced down at the small strips of bandages that still covered her arms. “But I think they’re starting to heal. The swelling has gone down for the most part and they don’t hurt as much.”

“Good to hear.”

“Yup.” She shifted from one foot to another. “How about Hop? Have you heard anything from him?”

“Yeah, he’s much better. Basically back at 120%.”

“That’s a relief.”

Though she didn’t ask, Leon continued freely offering up more information: “I actually had breakfast with him and Gloria yesterday. They were going to stick around and help out but I told them to leave this to the adults.”

“So does that mean you sent them off to Ballonlea?”

“I did, yeah.”

Pleased with his handiwork, Leon took a minute to explain his ingenious idea to Charizard. Despite not being too impressed, the Flame Pokémon did as he was instructed. He flew up and started haphazardly wiping off the signage; Yamper and Rotom loudly provided him constructive criticism. Leon, in the meantime, worked on clearing off the tops of the window frames. There was something surreal about seeing the Champion of the Galar League and his ace Pokémon clean together.

“What’s so funny?”

“What?” Sonia quickly schooled her features. “Nothing.”

“Yeah right. I saw that smile. Don’t try to lie to me.”

“I’m not.”

“Uh huh, sure,” Leon drawled out lazily.

She knew exactly what he was doing. He was trying to rile her up. If he thought that she was going to fall for these childish tactics, he had another thing- “You’re such a horrible liar, Sonia. Always has been, always will be.”

“That’s not true,” Sonia snapped.

“Wanna bet?” There was a mischievous glint in his eyes, the cocky bastard. “How about that time when we were eight and you tried to convince me that Wishing Stars tasted like candy?”

“Oh please. You totally believed me. Why else would you have put one in your mouth?”

“To prove you wrong, duh.”

“Whatever.”

Her curt dismissal didn’t deter him in the slightest. “Well, then what about when we were eleven and you completely failed to keep my surprise birthday party a secret?”

“That had nothing to do with my ability to lie.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really!” Sonia huffed, crossing her arms defensively. “It’s not my fault that you refused to listen to anything I said.”

“And do you know why that was the case? It was because your cover story sucked, Sonia.”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“It was terrible.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“The absolute worst.”

“No-

“Yes. It. Was.” He emphasized with a triumphant smirk. “You kept claiming over and over again that you had somehow forgotten the date of my birthday. Really? You, Sonia Magnolia, with your perfect memory and high IQ, had forgotten something? Yeah right.” He shook his head. “I mean, come on. How gullible did you think I was?”

Sonia rolled her eyes. “All that story proves is what a stubborn arse you are.”

Before either of them could continue the banter, suddenly and without warning, a dirty washcloth fell down and smacked Leon squarely in the face. He snatched it off, droplets of water and smudges of dirt now clinging to his skin, and glared up at Charizard. “Oi! What was that for?” The Flame Pokémon snorted unapologetically.

Laughter bubbled up inside her and Sonia soon started laughing out loud. Her Pokémon and Charizard were quick to join her. They were causing a scene by laughing at the most famous celebrity in Galar but she could have cared less. It was just too funny. Her mind kept replying to the moment over and over again. She ended up doubling over, the sound of her laughter becoming much more raucous and out of control.

“Blimey, it wasn’t _that_ funny, Sonia.”

“Yes, it was,” she replied breathlessly and with a huge smile.

“What a load of bollocks…” Leon blindly rubbed at his face and ended up smearing the dirt even more. She tried to bite back another smile but he saw through it. “What? What is it?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Out with it, Sonia.”

“Fine,” she snorted before gesturing at his entire face. “You’ve got dirt everywhere now.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.” Sonia undid the bandana that was holding back her hair and handed it to him. She regretted the decision just mere seconds later. “Stop! You’re making it worse! Give it here.”

The printed cloth was returned as he suspiciously stooped down to her eye level. Her hands cupped his face and started gently scrubbing the dirt away. Despite his initial misgivings, Leon, bit by bit, relaxed under her ministrations and soon his eyelids fluttered close.

“Good grief,” she muttered under her breath.

“What now?”

“Just you and your ridiculously long eyelashes.”

He batted them at her jokingly. “Jealous?”

“As if.” Sonia dismissed him with a final pat but her fingers then lingered extra. “That being said, I do know some people who would literally kill to have eyelashes like yours.”

“Like Nessa?”

“Perhaps…”

That finally won a hearty laugh out of him. “Good to know. I’ll make sure to watch my back around her from now on.” They grinned at each other, both happily in on the joke.

His Rotom phone suddenly rang and they jumped away from each other, as if they suddenly just remembered who and where they were. Leon fumbled to answer the call while Sonia looked away, clenching the bandana.

What was wrong with her? Why did she always fall for his charisma? Why was it always so easy to get caught up in him? And why did he have to be so good looking?

“-Sonia? You listening?

“What? No.”

From her blunt tone, Leon easily picked up on the fact that her guard was back up. He rubbed his jaw before sighing, “Let’s just get back to cleaning, yeah?”

* * *

Though it took longer than expected, Sonia and Leon eventually finished cleaning up the storefront a couple of hours later. Their hard work was undermined by the ever present dust in the air but the shop owner was pleased nonetheless. He gave them some biscuit-sized cakes as thanks.

They devoured the snack together on a street curb. It was a blast from the past, the orange flavored confection.

As she licked the residual chocolate off of her fingers, Leon cleared his throat and asked, “So what’re your plans for the rest of the day?”

“I haven’t thought about it.”

“Really? You don’t have a plan?”

Rather than respond to his light-hearted jab straight away, Sonia leaned back on her elbows and stared up at the sky. Large clouds were rolling in from the west. Rain was coming.

“Hello? Earth to Sonia?”

“Calm down, I heard you the first time. I might go and visit the ruins of the Ancient Mural before this storm hits.”

“And how’re you going to do that? Macro Cosmos has closed off the entire site to the public.”

“I don’t know.” Sonia stood up and stretched out her sore muscles. “I’ll figure something out.”

While he stayed put and oddly quiet, she got ready to leave. She recalled her Pokémon back into their Poké balls and packed up. Using the bandana from earlier, she tied her hair up into a half ponytail. It was only when she slung her bag over her shoulder that Leon proposed, “I can go with you, if you want.” He fidgeted under her stare, impatiently awaiting to hear her answer.

“You sure?” This time she elaborated herself. “Don’t you have more important things that you need to be doing?”

“I’ve still got time, no worries.” Leon pulled himself up and shoved his Rotom phone into his pocket. “Besides, we’re partners now, yeah?”

As a natural born speaker, he was always so smart with his words. They easily snuck past her defenses. Even though she knew better, she wanted to believe him and so she did: “Okay.”

Their walk to the Ancient Mural was neither short nor uneventful. They were constantly getting bombarded by locals and tourists. Both groups were solely interested in Leon.

Everybody wanted a piece of him for themselves. They asked for his handshakes and hugs. He signed autographs and partook in selfies. The most precious commodity, by far, was his time; every single person wanted to talk to him.

“Sorry about that again,” Leon apologized for the nth time, a Woolooish smile on his face.

“It’s fine.” She then shook her head incredulously. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand how you deal with all of this craziness.” There were still two fans who loitered from a distance, excitedly waving Leon off.

He returned the gesture one last time before saying to her in a low voice, “It’s not always easy.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

It was rare for Leon to share his opinions on the subject. Even when they were younger and much closer, he never talked about his experiences as the Champion. It just never came up.

Since he hadn’t closed himself off yet, Sonia asked, “Then why even do these fan interactions?”

He contemplated his reply long and hard. “Because it’s the least I can do. They do mean well.” One of his perfect smiles half-materialized. “Most of them anyway.”

His response bothered her a lot. It reminded her of defeatism, which was extremely ironic since he was the Champion. She didn’t like it at all. Although she wanted to continue the conversation, Sonia chose to move it forward, as Leon would have done if their roles had been reversed: “Well, let’s go before somebody asks you to bless a marriage or name a baby.”

His mood improved almost immediately as Leon snickered, “That’s never happened before. Don’t give them any new ideas.”

“No promises,” she laughed.

When they finally reached the steps that led to the Ancient Mural, Sonia made a mental note of how the entire premise was indeed taped off. There were also lots of Macro Cosmos employees and guards mulling about. One of the uniformed guards stopped them, specifically Sonia: “Identify yourself, miss.”

“Hello. I’m Sonia Magnolia, sir.”

She handed over her government-issued ID without being asked. The guard skimmed over it. “What’s the purpose of your visit?”

“I’m here to see what’s left of the Ancient Mural.”

“Why?”

“Because I have a Doctorate-“

“You don’t look like a doctor.”

Leon frowned while Sonia narrowed her eyes. “No, I’m not a medical doctor.”

“Then what kind of doctor are you?”

It took all of Sonia’s self-control not to scoff in this guard’s face. If he hadn’t interrupted her, she would have already stated her credentials. Instead of pointing this out, however, she maintained a polite voice. “I have a Doctorate in History. I specialize in Late Medieval and Early Modern Galarian History.”

“Never heard of it.”

“It’s the history you learned in Key Stage 3,” she explained bluntly, losing what little patience she previously had.

“Oh that.” The security guard didn’t care whatsoever, which irritated her even more. Then he had the nerve to turn to Leon and ask, “Can you verify that everything she said is true, sir?”

“I can.”

All it took was two words from Leon to appease the sexist guard; what utter bullshite. He lifted the barricade tape so that they could proceed. As Sonia ducked under it, she forced another smile and requested, “May I have my ID back, sir?”

“Right. Here you go, Miss Magnolia.”

That was the last straw. “Thank you. And by the way, sir? It’s _Doctor_ Magnolia. Have a nice day.”

As they strode away from the security guard, she heard Leon swear, “What a fucking pig.” Since they were side-by-side, Sonia lightly bumped her shoulder into his side, silently acknowledging and appreciating his solidarity.

Mercifully nobody else stopped them. That being said, by the time they reached the top viewing platform, everybody knew about their arrival. The Macro Cosmos employees watched them, whispering their observations and assumptions to each other. Their scrutiny didn’t bother either Sonia or Leon; they were both used to being talked about for different reasons.

“Hold on.” Leon tugged Sonia back. “Wait, wait, wait.”

“What?” She pointed towards their obvious destination: the large hole in the Ancient Mural. “It’s right there, Leon. Even you can’t miss it.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Just give me a second, all right?”

“What are you up to?”

“You’ll see,” Leon winked, his public persona back in place.

She exhaled deeply through her nose but nonetheless agreed to his verbal petition. She stood to the side, tapping her foot impatiently, as he strolled over and chatted up one of the nearby Macro Cosmos’ employees. As far as she could tell, it was a sparkling exchange, full of Leon’s perfect smiles and reverent nods from the employee. The employee then ran off into the Ancient Mural’s cave while Leon came back bearing gifts.

“Make a new friend?”

“I did.” He gave her one of the hard hats and flashlights he had received. “And you’ll be chuffed to bits that I did.”

“Will I really?”

“Quit your whinging and just be patient.”

She thankfully didn’t have to wait too much longer. The Macro Cosmos employee that Leon had made acquaintance with emerged from the cave with a group of bewildered researchers. In a starstruck voice, the employee reported to him, “The cave’s now all clear, Champion.”

“Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.”

After the employee herded the researchers down the steps and away from them, Sonia muttered, “You didn’t have to do that for me.”

Leon simply smiled, neither confirming nor denying her statement. “You ready to go in?”

“Mhmm.”

With two synchronous breaths, they entered the cavern together. It was surprisingly damp but thanks to the balloon lights and their flashlights, at least it wasn’t too dark. That didn’t mean everything was visible, however.

“Rotom? Can you help us out?”

Her Plasma Pokémon emerged from her phone and manifested in its original Ghost form. A soft light was emitting from it, gradually getting brighter, which gave their eyes plenty of time to adjust.

“So now that we’re in here, what’s the plan, Sonia?”

“We’re going to take a look around and see what we can find.”

Their trek was slow and cautious for three important reasons. First off, they didn’t want to accidentally step on a Galarian Stunfisk or Wimpod. (They had already experienced the prior as children and that was the stuff of nightmares.) Secondly, they didn’t want to disrupt any of the devices that were busy taking measurements and samples for Macro Cosmos. And thirdly, they didn’t want to cause a cave-in.

The first chamber was small compared to the second chamber that followed. Entering the new larger space literally took Sonia’s breath away. She gasped and Leon whistled.

“Would you look at that? Now what do you make of that-“

“SHH!” She slapped her hand over his mouth. He chuckled at her protest, the vibrations tickling her fingers.

Before them were four gigantic statues; she had never seen anything like them. They were all carved out of the regional stone and in spectacular condition, all things considered. The statues in the back depicted two men dressed in regal finery and with crowns adorning their heads. The statues in front portrayed loyal Pokémon protecting their lieges.

“Holy shite… Do you know what this means?”

“No.” Leon gently removed her hand. “But I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”

“Raihan was right.”

“… What?”

“I know it sounds bonkers-“

“Yeah, it definitely does.” He looked over her carefully, full of concern, trying to determine her mental and physical health. “What's going on? Are you sick? Do you have a fever or something?”

“No, I’m feeling perfectly fine-”

“Then did you hit your head hard recently?”

“No, I didn’t-”

“You sure you don’t have an undiagnosed concussion?”

“Yes, I’m fine, Leon.”

“You positive?”

“Yes! Just let me explain myself.”

“All right, all right.”

“So back when I was touring the Hammerlocke Vault, Raihan and I hypothesized that the Darkest Day Legend and the First Kings Legend were actually two different interpretations of the same historical event.”

“So the Hero and the First Kings are the same?”

“Sort of. Based on the available primary sources-“

“Woah, woah, woah, Sonia.” He squeezed her hand; in her excitement, she hadn’t even realized that he was still holding it. “What are primary sources?”

“They’re first-hand accounts or items that were created during the time period of interest.”

“Got it. So based on the primary sources…?”

“Scholars have always been certain that the First Kings were real historical figures, however, they weren’t as certain about the Hero. But Raihan and I came up with the idea that when the anti-monarchists came into power after the Second Galarin Revolution, they changed the First Kings into the Hero in order to better fit their narrative. Hence why there are two legends and now we have two solid pieces of physical evidence that supports this hypothesis: the Tapestries and these statues.”

“And that’s a good thing, yeah?”

“Yes!” Sonia beamed at him. “It’s brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!”

She stepped forward, pulling Leon with her, and eagerly approached the monument. There were so many details that still needed to be uncovered and understood. Tilting her head back, she deliberated the inclusion of the Pokémon statues out loud. “Now what’s especially interesting is that neither legend mentions the protagonists having Pokémon fighting by their sides… So why are these two Wolfish Pokémon here?”

“Well they’re holding the fabled sword and shield… Couldn’t it just be artistic liberties?”

“Maybe but…”

“But?” Leon prompted, his voice echoing slightly in the space around them.

“But… And this is going to sound mad…”

“Can’t be any crazier than you willingly giving credit to Raihan.”

“Oh shut up. We’re well beyond that now.”

“Whatever you say. So, what’s your big idea now?”

“I’m thinking that maybe the Pokémon _are_ the sword and shield.”

“Come again?”

“Consider it this way.” Sonia signaled for Rotom to highlight the statues. “These statues of the Pokémon are very detailed, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Detailed to the point that they would have had to have been based on something real.”

“So you're saying these Pokémon were or are real? But I’ve never heard or seen anything like them.”

“Me neither, which is what makes all of this so very curious...” She finally let go of his hand in order to rummage through her bag and find her notebook. "It seems like that at some point in time the sword and shield were combined with the two actual Pokémon and treated as the same thing... But that must have happened before the Second Revolution as the First Kings Legend doesn't mention them... so why were they erased from history?" 

While she was busy updating her investigative notes, Leon inspected the statues for himself, trying to see what potential she had seen in them. It was hard to tell whether or not he was successful but the effort was lovely all the same. His thoughtfulness made her heart beat a little bit faster.

He caught her staring red-handed but instead of calling her out or teasing her, Leon reflected, “You really love doing all of this, don’t you?”

Like an epiphany, she realized he was right. Leave it to Leon to be able to decipher what was right in front of her the whole time. Sonia had always loved history and had grown up wanting to unravel its many mysteries. That desire had never disappeared but much like these Pokémon, it had just been forgotten. In her case it was due to the stress of completing her DPhil and the embarrassment of not being able to find a full-time job after graduating. But now that she had rediscovered her passion, she was going to hold on to it for the rest of her life. 

“Yeah, I do.”

His gaze softened. “I’m glad you’re finally doing what makes you happy, Sonia.”

“Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally reached the halfway point in this story and it's about time we've had some serious plot and character developments! 
> 
> This chapter might seem a bit slower compared to the other chapters (in the sense that Sonia is still in Stow-on-Side) but I really wanted to take my time here and start rebuilding her relationship with Leon. She's definitely cautious at first but Leon slowly wins her over (in more ways than one). 
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing their interactions. You get to see more of their banters and quips but these were aspects of their friendship that I tried alluding to even in the earlier chapters. They're quite sassy with each other. I also wanted to include snippets of their shared childhood. They really were the best of friends in the past and I promise that the reason for their fallout will be revealed soon... (There have been some clues already though...) 
> 
> Please stay safe, healthy, and happy!


End file.
